For those that have followed along with my ramblings about trying to help my daughter find an apartment as she prepares for her "big girl job" in the Philadelphia area, I am happy to report the search is over and she is now a resident of Drexel Hill, PA.  After a showing on Saturday where the photos were nowhere close to what they showed her, she was in a state of despair.  Dad's fingers started to furiously fly on the keyboard and I was able to come up with a couple other possible options (and there  were in Dad's green zone - low crime rates) so I texted links to her.  She contacted the one in Drexel Hill and it was a private landlord situation and he was willing to provide a showing to her on Sunday.  Not knowing what would happen she was seriously considering taking the bait and switch apartment.  Sunday rolls around and one of my daily rituals is to tackle the Wordle puzzle in the NY TImes.  I managed to solve Sunday's and I started to chuckle.  The word of the day was LEASE.  I quickly texted her that I had received a sign that this showing was going to work out.  Turns out she had already had the showing and liked the apartment and the landlord.  The landlord did his background checks quickly and efficiently, approving her without me even having to sign off as guarantor.  She smashed the send button on Venmo and grabbed the apartment.  In a whirlwind of activity she was packed up (mostly, it appears it will be a process) and moved in on Wednesday.  So now my wife and I are officially empty nesters.  Thanks to all the parents that advised and consoled me over the past couple of weeks.  Time to adjust to a new reality.  Join me now if you will as we kick the tires and light the fires to take off for the Pickleverse.

1. The Centre:  With what looks like a very wet week, just a reminder that The Centre is only offering 3 courts for drop-in and reservations.  On the SignUpGenius I have set the suggested participant limit to 16.  In an attempt to maximize opportunities to play may I suggest forming private reserved court play groups for the 11:00 or 1:00 sessions, consider trying C3 Sports a try, if drop-in is really crowded make games to 9/win by 1, if dire circumstances - 4 out and 4 in.  You get the idea.

2. Kudos:  Congratulations to our very own Diane Leos for not just having an article published in CENTERED (a quarterly sister publication of State College Magazine) but getting the cover.  Diane has had other articles published but this time she had a difficult subject to work with, your humble (most of the time) author of the Pickle Jar.  Being a Gemini I have found myself at times shunning the spotlight and at others being a bit of a divo.  Diane was kind enough to include a link to my Great Cycle Challenge so hopefully this can bring in some extra donations for my 2025 effort.  When we first met to discuss this article, Diane scared me a bit with what a good job she did with her research.  Parts of my life exist in the cyberworld but I thought others were off the grid.  I did get the last laugh though.  I shared a story with Diane that she had not discovered.  Sadly she had to cut it so it did not make it to the press.  Now that I teased that, I will just throw out a hint or two.  The event was a public performance piece.  I got a "conduct unbecoming an officer" type of discipline letter for it, which I challenged and won.  As for Diane's article I will provide the link to the story but first I want to thank Saralee and Kyle for helping with the pickleball photos.  Here you go:  https://www.statecollegemagazine.com/articles/randy-hoffmans-got-game/.

3. EYE PROTECTION:  Just another reminder of the importance of protecting your eyes.  On Wednesday I took a good shot to the face that if I had not been wearing eye protection would have hit me directly on my left eye.  The cheek is still a little bit sore today.  Oh, and that was friendly fire.

4. Body Bagging:  I had a week now to consider my response to a player that took a hit to the face (was wearing eye protection) from a hard line drive by an opponent.  If you are familiar with the term body bagging, it is a hard hit ball sent directly at your opponent's body.  The legitimacy of the strategy has been debated, especially as paddle technology is causing balls to come off the face faster and faster.  There was a proposed rule to outlaw but no one could come up with how to determine the difference between an intentional body bag and an accidental one.  So that proposal died in committee.  From the "Here's my 2 Cents" file here are my thoughts.  Generally I don't believe intentional body bagging has a place in recreational play.  Tournaments, ladder leagues, etc. that would be a different animal but with some considerations.  Read the room.  Do the 2 players across the net from you have the physical and emotional qualities to defend against this very aggressive shot?  In short, don't be a bully.  A very important consideration is do you, as the bagger, have the skill to send hard drives over the net but below the armpits of the opponent at the NVZ line.  From my observations there are less than 20% (being generous here) of the players I play with regularly that I would trust to try that shot.  Keep in mind also the target on a 5'03" player is a great deal smaller than a 6'06" player.  For the shorter person, I know I would not try that shot and I hit a lot of drives at a foot or less over the net.  NEVER try to body bag a person that is not wearing eye protection.  At least for now body bagging is still a strategy but before you roll it out of your arsenal consider the opponent and perhaps even check with them (before you play them next time) if they have any problems with attempting that shot should it present itself.  If you are being or see a player being bullied by a bagger, don't be afraid to suggest they are more discriminating with that shot.  Time to stand down from the soapbox.

5. New Tournament:  A mixed doubles tournament has been set for July 29th at C3 Sports from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.  A flier with a QR code is on the Tournaments page.  As the weeks go by I provide more information.

6. Other Tournaments:  Fliers for the upcoming tournaments are also on the Tournaments page.  Registration dates are getting close to find that partner and saddle up. Additional email sent after this edition: Some days I should take a nap before putting together the Pickle Jar.  I had an additional tournament announcement and I want to get that out.  On August 2nd from 8 AM to 5 PM at the Dink Rink in Tyrone the Tyrone Pickleball Club will be holding the One Day - Fun Day Tournament with three skill levels.  It is a mixed double tournament that has individual AND team implications.  The Bernel Briners are the defending champions.  Blair County Pickleball Club wants the trophy back and the Tyrone Pickleball Club has been working hard to be a contender.  Last year the Briners won by one match so the matrix of number of teams competing, victories and point differential will determine the outcome.  I would love to see the trophy stay in Centre County (apologies to my Blair and Huntingdon County readers) so let's start now building some dream teams.  So mark those calendars and let's dance! 

If you enter let me know so I can track how we are setting up as a team.

7. Will Mother Nature File A Noise Complaint?:  According to a survey, Wi-Fi at campgrounds is no longer the #1 amenity request for upgrades to campgrounds.  Yep, pickleball is the new king.  It's everywhere, it's everywhere.

8. Rule Of The Week:  For a bit of a change of pace here is a ROTW instead of a TOTW.  This occurred twice this past week and a couple players were surprised by this rule.  If you are standing outside of the court and the ball hits you before it bounces on the ground, the point or side out goes to the other team.  Both of the incidents happened on serves where the receiving player was standing behind the baseline.  You have to move those tootsies.  In all shots the ball is considered live until it bounces out of bounds so at the back or the sides, if it hits you, the call goes to your opponent.

Below are the links for indoor play.  I look forward to seeing you on the court this week.  FYI, I will only be publishing the SignUpGenius links and attachments next week.  Taking a b-day break.

The Centre:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-57290339-nvsc

C3 Sports:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-57222355-c3pickleball

Randy Hoffman
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